This disclosure relates to a cleaning apparatus and to a method for cleaning articles for cleaning. Such cleaning apparatuses and methods may be used in particular in the field of dishwashing technology, in particular in the commercial field of large kitchens and communal catering. For example, this disclosure can be used for cleaning articles for cleaning in the form of articles for the preparation, serving, storage or accommodation of foods or beverages, such as for example crockery, cutlery, glasses, cups, pots, bowls or trays. In particular, this disclosure may be used in hood-type dishwashers or pass-through dishwashers. There, this disclosure offers the possibility in particular of weight compensation for the hood. Other fields of use are however also possible, for example fields of use in the cleaning of industrial articles, for example in the field of industrial production technology.
The prior art has disclosed numerous cleaning apparatuses and methods for cleaning different types of articles for cleaning. Without restriction of further possible usage possibilities, this disclosure will be described below with regard to dishwashing technology, that is to say with regard to cleaning apparatuses in the form of dishwashers. These may in particular be commercial dishwashers, wherein, below, again without restriction of further possible refinements, a description will be given in particular of pass-through dishwashers or hood-type dishwashers. Examples of such dishwashers are in particular the glass-washing and dishwashing machines of the DV series or the EcoStar series from Meiko Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG, Offenburg, Germany, or of the PT series from Winterhalter Deutschland GmbH, Meckenbeuren, Germany. This disclosure may however basically also be used in other products.
In known hood-type dishwashers, the hood is normally guided by means of a suitable guide, wherein the operating personnel can move the hood from a closed into an opened position or vice versa by means of corresponding handles and/or levers. Here, in general, a technical challenge consists in realizing weight compensation for the hood, such that the operating personnel at least do not have to fully bear the weight of the hood and such that the hood remains in the open state when desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,173 describes a dishwasher having a washing chamber and having a vertically movable door. Also described is a counterweight for the door, which counterweight holds the door in any position into which it is moved by hand.
DE 199 31 877 A1 has disclosed a lever mechanism for a spring-assisted actuation of a covering means of a dishwasher. Here, at least one lever mounted on a shaft is used, which lever is connected to a tension spring. Between the lever and the spring there is arranged a mechanical control means which yields an approximately constant lever arm between an articulation point and the shaft over a rotational angle of the shaft of up to approximately 100°.
EP 1 068 833 B1 has disclosed a handle for a liftable covering means. The handle is fastenable in a corner region of two mutually adjacent side surfaces of the covering means in a horizontal position. The handle has at least two engagement regions which are shaped such that the hand actuating the handle is, in terms of its position, oriented so as to be ergonomically aligned with the forearm. The handle furthermore has a relatively long first limb, which is oriented toward the front side, and a relatively short limb oriented toward the side surface, which limbs are connected via a substantially circular segment.
WO 2013/109841 A1 has disclosed a dishwasher having a hood which is mounted so as to be movable in vertically sliding fashion. The dishwasher furthermore has a handle which surrounds the hood at least on the front side and on at least one lateral side and which is mounted so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis of rotation behind the hood. Here, spring means are connected between the handle and the housing in order to balance out the weight of the hood.
WO 2013/109845 A1 describes a dishwasher with a hood which is mounted in vertically sliding fashion and with a guide system for the hood. The guide system has a profile rail with a double-T-shaped profile.
EP 1 842 477 B1 has described a dishwasher which is designed to open and close a washing chamber which is provided on the side of a washer body. For this purpose, a door is moved upward and downward while a rotary arm which is arranged on a side surface of the door is rotated. The dishwasher furthermore comprises springs, the upper end of which is fastened to a base side of the rotary arm and the lower end of which is fastened to the side of the washer body. The dishwasher furthermore has a pair of left-hand and right-hand pillars which are provided on both corner parts on the rear side of the washer body. The left-hand and right-hand pillars are in the form of tubes, and the springs are accommodated in each case vertically in the pillars.
EP 1 880 654 B1 describes a dishwasher having a washing chamber which can be opened and closed. Here, a pivot arm arranged on a side surface of a door is pivoted. A rod is provided which runs in a vertical direction and which, at its upper end, is connected to a proximal end of the pivot arm. The dishwasher comprises a compression spring which runs in a vertical direction and which is arranged substantially parallel to the rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,555 has disclosed a dishwasher having a washing chamber and having a hood. Here, a door is provided which can be moved vertically from an upper position into a lower position. Furthermore, levers which are preloaded by means of springs are provided, which levers are connected to the door and balance out the door at any height between an open and a closed position.
EP 2 165 636 B1 has disclosed a commercial hood-type dishwasher having a hood which is mounted on at least two vertical guides. The hood slides along the guides with the aid of compensation springs which are suitable for limiting a force for opening or closing the hood. The at least two guides are telescopic guides and comprise slidingly mounted parts, to which the hood is fastened and the movement of which is driven by cables. The movement of the sliding parts is driven by cables which are acted on by the compensation springs via movable rollers, the latter being arranged on panels which are mounted pivotably on the dishwasher structure.
DE 100 54 392 A1 has disclosed a drive apparatus for automatically moving a hood which is rotatably mounted and vertically movable on a body of a dishwasher. Here, a traction means is driven by means of a tensioning and/or tension-relieving apparatus.
EP 1 099 403 B1 has disclosed an apparatus for opening a cover of a dishwasher. The cover is movable vertically from a closed position into an open position and vice versa with the aid of a handle device. The handle device can be actuated by hand and is connected to a movable element of a fluid-dynamic actuation unit. The apparatus furthermore has an elastic restoring device which is connected to the movable element in order to move the actuation unit automatically into an inactive position when the cover is in the open position.
The cleaning apparatuses known from the prior art, however, have numerous disadvantages or technical challenges in practice. One challenge consists for example in that the hood generally has to be moved over a large travel distance. For example, a situation may arise in which a particular usage situation necessitates a greater pass-through height for the introduction of articles for cleaning. In this case, cam control by means of a hood bracket for the compensation of different forces becomes increasingly more difficult. In the case of large lifting heights, it is furthermore the case that an engagement point at which the operating personnel act on the hood bracket is generally situated at an ergonomically adverse height.
In many cases, a further technical challenge lies in the fact that a large movement travel can no longer be realized by means of a guide within a washing chamber. Furthermore, guides arranged within a washing chamber tend to become fouled, with a tendency for the free movement of the guide to deteriorate over the service life.
A further technical challenge lies in the weight compensation, known from the above-cited prior art, by means of a counterweight. Such a counterweight can considerably increase the overall weight of a dishwasher. Furthermore, in the case of a closed hood, the counterweight may be lifted into the upper region of the dishwasher. During transport, however, this top-heaviness of the dishwasher is in many cases highly disruptive. Furthermore, during installation, the counterweight must be maneuvered to the corresponding height by the installation personnel, which in many cases necessitates the use of several installation persons. A further challenge lies in the fact that, during a movement of the hood, not only the mass of the hood but also the mass of the counterweight must be accelerated. In the case of a manually operated hood, this necessitates increased expenditure of force by the operating personnel. By contrast, in the case of an automatically driven hood, a drive must be designed to be more powerful.
A further technical challenge is that safety aspects must be taken into consideration during the opening and closing movement of the hood. For example, if cables are used in a mechanism for weight compensation, such cables must be regarded as particularly critical from safety aspects. In practice, cables constitute wearing parts and, in particular, exhibit a tendency for sudden failure. Safeguards against this are generally necessary.